One Last Time: Henderson slams door on Pontiac G8 revival
Middle East-market Chevy Lumina SS - Click above for high-res gallery
General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson held a web chat with journalists earlier today over at the automaker's Fastlane Blog. (Full transcript available here.) Now, despite persistent rumors to the contrary, it's been reported a few times over that GM has no intention of resurrecting the Aussie-built Pontiac G8 under a different division, even though variants of the G8's Holden Commodore source material are sold in foreign markets under both the Chevrolet and Buick nameplates. This is a lamentable course of action, to say the least, because the G8 is a really good car. In particular, the G8 GT and GXP models are downright excellent. Towards the end of the web proceedings, AutoWeek's Greg Migliore went to the well one last time on behalf of enthusiasts everywhere, asking Henderson if the G8 has any future under one of the "new" GM's remaining brands.
14:45 [Comment From Greg Migliore--AutoWeek]
Does the Pontiac G8 have any kind of future within General Motors as a re-badged model? What kinds of changes would need to be made to the car for it to be sold under another brand?
14:45 Fritz Henderson: I am not a fan of rebadging.
That's a terse, disappointing, answer – especially considering that of GM's four remaining divisions, GMC is made up almost exclusively of warmed-over Chevrolets. R.I.P. Pontiac G8. (Or new Chevy Impala. Or Buick Park Avenue...)
Gallery: 2009 Chevy Lumina SS (Middle East)
[Source: GM Fastlane via Motor Trend]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
MaestroMario 7:06PM (6/16/2009)
Come on Fritz, give-us a proper Buick.
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jinsei888 7:19PM (6/16/2009)
is there such a thing?
some1 7:38PM (6/16/2009)
sooo let me get this straight... GM has re badged almost its ENTIRE lineup over DECADES. And now that there is a replacement for the impala, that actually is a GOOD car, unlike the current pos... he comes out and says hes not a fan of it?
well then, why is he keeping GMC around, which is basically nothing but badge engineering.
And this is why GM is crap... they throw away their good stuff (saturn / pontiac) and keep the idiotic (GMC / Buick)
what a hypocrite. This man has no right to say hes not a fan of badge engineering...
Jei 8:24PM (6/16/2009)
OK, Fritz...mister, "...not a fan of rebadging".
So the GMC brand will be axed soon? Most of those models are "rebadged or lightly restyled" Chevys. I wouldn't be surprised if GM had future working plans for "not" making the Holden-sourced G8 a Chevrolet.
Or am I just being overly optimistic?
Tool 9:14PM (6/16/2009)
Henderson's answer was more of a non-denial denial than it was a flat out "no".
I don't care one whit if GM rebadges the G8, but it would make sense to position it as the top-of-the-line Chevrolet to me.
Judy Zik 9:31PM (6/16/2009)
It may happen. Just not from overseas. Buick of Chev could easily end up with a 4 door built on the same platform for this market likely along with the Camaro. Don't hold your breath though. The G8 hasn't sold very well.
jetrithart 9:44PM (6/16/2009)
Why be surprised! GM is well known for killing any model that is a decent car...ie Camaro, Impala, etc, etc.
It's no wonder these idiots are going under, they only build crap that no one wants and anything popular is killed off.
I don't know why Penske/Saturn hasn't gone after the G8 and turned it into an awesome seller for Saturn, give GM a real good run for their money
tuxchown 12:47AM (6/17/2009)
Together with GMC and Chevrolet, General Motors is the number one seller of full sized trucks in the US. You want them to alienate which customers? THAT is why GMC stays.
James 4:52PM (6/17/2009)
"14:45 Fritz Henderson: I am not a fan of rebadging."
Fritzy...you're out of line!
KT 7:09PM (6/16/2009)
What were the total sales for this vehicle? Anyone?
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Joe K. 7:14PM (6/16/2009)
6600 I believe.
Matthew 7:30PM (6/16/2009)
More than 36000 were exported in 2008. They will be sold before the end of 2009, based on recent sales rate.
http://www.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=62461&IsPgd=0
TriShield 7:13PM (6/16/2009)
Pontiac and the G8 are done, get over it, let's move on.
The G8 didn't sell terribly well despite all the hooplah online and in print. Consumers have been voting against Pontiac and all of it's vehicles for years with their wallets by buying something else.
The G8 in particular is an excellent car and I own one. But why would GM repeat the same mistakes over and over again expecting a different result? The GTO failed, the G8 failed and it would likely fail again under Chevrolet (and fail even harder under Buick, the car is in no way, shape, or form a proper Buick).
Even if they did sell from everything I've heard and read the Holden import program was virtually profit-free, no different than the Astra. There was no money to be made selling them here, just losses. Last I checked that's part of the reason GM is in bankruptcy. They are a business and they have to sell vehicles that make money.
Or not, since they're now a government agency and the government doesn't care about profit. Maybe they should sell the G8 under Chevrolet for all 10 people on here who would actually buy one afterall.
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Frank 7:23PM (6/16/2009)
I wouldn't buy one. I need a car that can be driven in the snow because I live in Michigan. Why so many 4 door sedans?
Jei 8:19PM (6/16/2009)
Huh? I'm a bit tired of the, "I need FWD b/c I live in Michigan and drive in snow" excuse. I purchased a Chrysler 300Touring RWD in 2004 and have driven it from DC to Cleveland during downpours and blizzards. The key to RWD is actually knowing how to drive a car in the 1st place. Cut the BS excuses for why RWD can be driven in snow.
I never got stuck in snow and have driven on roads covered with pure ice. It would be nice if people would just admit that they don't like RWD vehicles b/c they don't really understand how to properly drive them. Kinda like driving a manual in Pittsburgh....would be down-right scary on them hills if you know how to handle the balance b/t the clutch and gas pedals.
KeatMP 8:20PM (6/16/2009)
@ TriShield
I hate to admit it, but you're absolutely right. No matter how much I love the G8(I plan on getting a used one in a few months) I don't think the platform has much of a case outside the car enthusiast world. If only they would've sold more.
Dan 8:57PM (6/16/2009)
Chrysler has sold well over a million LX cars. The platform worked for $40,000 SRT muscle cars which don't sell now, just like the G8, it also worked for $24,000 police cars and $18,000 rental specials. Which are on pace to break 100,000 units this year, terrible economy and all.
The G8 as sold here was the wrong product at the wrong time, that's all. Turning it into a viable product across other market segments is just a matter of investment, which bankrupt GM can't do now.
Philthy 10:46PM (6/16/2009)
You may be right about the minimal profit margins, but you've forgotten another mistake GM likes to make: shortsightedness. There is a market for rear-wheel drive vehicles, and GM's current knowledge base for rear drive development is Australia. To stay competitive they need to keep Australian development and manufacture viable so they can continue to reap the benefits, and export deals are pivotal to that. Importing the G8 may not be the best way forward, but if they don't sort a deal to replace it they won't have a competitive platform down the track to do anything with.
gearhead18 3:38AM (6/17/2009)
Michigan? Thats why you can't have RWD. I live in northern Canada right along the level of Alaska and I drive my pickup in 2wd unless things get really hairy. An unloaded RWD pickup.
mkM3 8:49AM (6/17/2009)
Frank, you need some snow tires. My wife drives her 300hp RWD sedan all winter with no problems here in SE MI. Never a problem. I drive my RWD convertible all winter also.
It's a shame that so many people have been brainwashed into thinking that a snowy climate demands FWD or AWD. If you are in a mountainous area with huge snowfall there is a case for AWD. But FWD holds no advantage over RWD if you understand the dynamics of the car. In fact, RWD is arguably better because you do not lose the ability to steer the car with the throttle when the front end slides out from under you.